The evolution of language: a comparative review

For many years the evolution of language has been seen as a disreputable topic, mired in fanciful "just so stories" about language origins. However, in the last decade a new synthesis of modern linguistics, cognitive neuroscience and neo-Darwinian evolutionary theory has begun to make important contributions to our understanding of the biology and evolution of language. I review some of this recent progress, focusing on the value of the comparative method, which uses data from animal species to draw inferences about language evolution. Discussing speech first, I show how data concerning a wide variety of species, from monkeys to birds, can increase our understanding of the anatomical and neural mechanisms underlying human spoken language, and how bird and whale song provide insights into the ultimate evolutionary function of language. I discuss the ‘‘descended larynx’ ’ of humans, a peculiar adaptation for speech that has received much attention in the past, which despite earlier claims is not uniquely human. Then I will turn to the neural mechanisms underlying spoken language, pointing out the difficulties animals apparently experience in perceiving hierarchical structure in sounds, and stressing the importance of vocal imitation in the evolution of a spoken language. Turning to ultimate function, I suggest that communication among kin (especially between parents and offspring) played a crucial but neglected role in driving language evolution. Finally, I briefly discuss phylogeny, discussing hypotheses that offer plausible routes to human language from a non-linguistic chimp-like ancestor. I conclude that comparative data from living animals will be key to developing a richer, more interdisciplinary understanding of our most distinctively human trait: language

Attention and empirical studies of grammar

How is the generation of a grammatical sentence implemented by the human brain? A starting place for such an inquiry lies in linguistic theory. Unfortunately, linguistic theories illuminate only abstract knowledge representations and do not indicate how these representations interact with cognitive architecture to produce discourse. We examine tightly constrained empirical methods to study how grammar interacts with one part of the cognitive architecture, namely attention. Finally, we show that understanding attention as a neural network can link grammatical choice to underlying brain systems. Overall, our commentary supports a multilevel empirical approach that clarifies and expands the connections between cognitive science and linguistics thus advancing the interdisciplinary agenda outlined by Jackendoff

Diachronic investigation into current issues in language variation. A case of Sesotho language

Published ThesisChapter one discusses the introduction and background on current issues in language variation and emphasis is placed on Basotho speakers in the Lejweleputswa district, Ficksburg, and Qwaqwa , Free State. The aim of research, research questions and objectives, research methodology as well as literature review are dealt with in this chapter. The research is undertaken because Basotho we speak one language, namely, Sesotho differently. Chapter two deals with literature review of past and present writers who wrote about language varieties. The concepts of standard language, variety, dialect, isogloss were defined and factors that cause variation such as morphology, syntax, phonology and semantics were placed under spotlight. Chapter three discussed the theoretical framework that underpins the research, and the opinions and ideas of advocates of this theory were put together regarding the causes of language variation. Factors that cause language variation such as geographical location, economic organisation, social factors and class distinction were discussed. In order to address the above purpose of the study, language variation is discussed, factors that lead to language variation are also deliberated. Chapter four dealt with research methodology to support the research. Qualitative methodology was picked as the method that seem appropriate to support this research. Data collection instruments such as interviews, field notes and observation were discussed followed by data analysis. Population comprised the Basotho speakers in the Lejweleputswa district, Ficksburg, and Qwaqwa. Sample consisted of 19 people who were interviewed. Chapter five deliberated on the actual analysis and interpretation of data and the findings revealed that people speak the same language but there are language dialects that are found within a language. These varieties are brought by the contact between different ethnic groups, urbanisation, and language borrowing. The researcher further argues that sharing of borders and inter-marriages are some of the factors that lead to language variation. One other observation was that language is not static but dynamic as it changes according to the needs of the people. Chapter six concluded the research work

The Nebraska Educator, Volume 5: 2020

Contents Letter From The Editor EmPOWER: An Adaptable Writing Intervention Carly Dinnes, Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education Learning to Lesson Plan: A Mentor’s Impact on Pre-service Teachers Kelly M. Gomez, Connie L. Schaffer, Lela E. Nix, & H. Emily Hayden Difficulty and Distance in Educational Encounters with Historical Violence Grant Scribner, Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education Culturally Relevant Science Teaching: A Literature Review Uma Ganesan, Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education Interval Estimation of Proportion of Second-level Variance in Multi-level Modeling Steven Svoboda, Education Psychology The History, Evolution, and Trends of Academic Dishonesty: A Literature Review Amy Zachek, Educational Administration Bilingual Acculturation Assessment: An Overview of Current Developments Donna Chen, Educational Psychology The Current State of Assessing Historical Thinking: A Literature Analysis Taylor Hamblin, Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education The Roles of Language, Communication, and Discourse in Power: A series of critical (reaction) essays. Alessia Barbici-Wagner, Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education Seeing Formative Assessments from a Broad Perspective Consuelo M. Gallardo, Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education Resources for Content-area Teachers Educating ELLs: A Literature Review Heidi Bartlett, Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education Editor-in-Chief Taylor Hamblin Senior Editors Justin Andersson, Amy Zachek Associate Editors Sarah Garvey, Olivia Kenned

Prolegomena to a Future Science of Biolinguistics

This essay reviews some of the problems that face biolinguistics if it is to someday succeed in understanding human language from a biological and evolutionary viewpoint. Although numerous sociological problems impede progress at present, these are ultimately soluble. The greater challenges include delineating the computational mechanisms that underlie different aspects of language competence, as implemented in the brain, and under-standing the epigenetic processes by which they arise. The ultimate chal-lenge will be to develop a theory of meaning incorporating non-linguistic conceptual representations, as they exist in the mind of a dog or chimpan-zee, which requires extensions of information theory incorporating context-dependence and relevance. Each of these problems is daunting alone; to-gether they make understanding the biology of language one of the most challenging sets of problems in modern science

Prehistoric Bantu-Khoisan language contact

International audienc

Impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on construction projects

The changing face of construction projects has resulted in a movement towards the use of technology as a primary means of communication. The consequences of this rise in the use of information and communication technology (ICT) is a loss of interpersonal communication skills. A number of resulting issues within the human – electronic and human – human interfaces are identified in an attempt to define the efficiency of communication in projects. The research shows how ICT effects the social environment of construction project teams and the project outcome. The study seeks to confirm the need for further work in order to develop new forms of communication protocols and behaviour. An initial literature review was undertaken to develop a theoretical review of the impacts of ICT on construction project teams. This review identified a number of issues that were then tested in the field through an observation and two verification interviews. The research confirms the existence of tensions and conflicts in the human – electronic and human - human communication interfaces within the studies environment. It is proposed that the increasing use of ICT occur at the expense of soft system communication. The principal impact of this is a form of ‘human distraction’ which adversely affects the performance of project teams. There is limited theory exploring these issues that suggests the problems identified are not well understood and consequently indicates a gap in knowledge

Language Policy, Ideology and Language Attitudes: A Study of Indonesian Parents and their Choice of Language in the Home

This study is driven by my curiosity about Indonesian parents’ use of English, a foreign language in Indonesia, to raise children. It led me to ask why this seems like normal practice and why parents seem to have little attachment to Indonesian although they grew up speaking the language. Previous studies have focused, among others, on how Indonesian children navigated their identity as cosmopolites and how English language schools applied the national education policy. Meanwhile parents’ choice of home language has received little attention. This study fills the gap in the literature by focusing on the ideology of raising children in the school language. I draw on Bourdieu’s concept of habitus to explain the motivations behind the parents’ use of English. I discuss the impact of language policies during the Dutch and Japanese occupations, the New Order and post-New Order periods, on parents’ language attitudes and argue that the ideology of raising children in the school language is inculcated within more than one generation. In every generation, parents use the school language in the home, respectively, Dutch, Indonesian and English, reflecting the assumption that language is a tool for economic advancement. The study uses a combined quantitative and qualitative methodology, involving questionnaire and video/audio recordings of parent-children interactions. The participants consist of upper-middle class parents who send their children to English language schools. The findings show that most parents speak a mixture of Indonesian and English, which suggests that they still value Indonesian as the family language, but use English to support their children’s schooling. I show that parents’ attitudes reflect the ideology of language inculcated through language policy and implemented through education, which promotes the school language as a tool for achieving better social standing. Parents who want their children to succeed thus deem that English language schools are the best option for their children. This study contributes to the understanding of the role of English in the Indonesian education system and the impact of language policy on language attitudes. By focusing on Indonesia, it provides an example of the process involved in the dissemination of the language through the education system